Review: Futura: The Typeface

A beautifully designed book that gives the lowdown on the second most famous sans-serif.

Our Verdict

Fascinating facts and a playful layout make this a worthy tribute to the font that always manages to look modern. The book itself is a thing of beauty, too.

For

  • Surprising facts
  • Playful layout
  • Historical photographs add context
  • Luxurious cover treatment

Against

  • That's quite a price tag

Why you can trust Creative Bloq Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.

Futura: The Typeface, by Petra Eisele, Annette Ludwig and Isabel Naegele, is a vast and rather beautiful celebration of Futura, launched to celebrate the typeface’s 90th birthday (published by Laurence King Publishing with an RRP $65/£45). And, as a testament to its superb design, Futura really does look as fresh today as it did back in the 1927.

It's easy to assume that it would be tricky to create an entire book about Futura. But it turns out there’s a lot of mileage in this perennially trendy typeface. Who knew, for instance, that it was the first typeface on the moon? Or that it was Stanley Kubrick's favourite font? Or, in less positive associations, that it was assailed by the Nazis in World War II, used across the party’s propaganda?

Thank you for reading 5 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

The Verdict
9

out of 10

Review: Futura: The Typeface

Fascinating facts and a playful layout make this a worthy tribute to the font that always manages to look modern. The book itself is a thing of beauty, too.

Emily Gosling

Emily Gosling is a freelance art and design journalist currently writing for titles including Creative Review, Eye on Design, Creative Boom and People of Print. She’s previously worked at Elephant magazine, It’s Nice That and Design Week, and was editor of Type Notes magazine. Her book Creative Minds Don’t Think Alike was published by Ilex Press in 2018, and she also plays bass as one-quarter of the eight-titted beast, Superstation Twatville.

Latest in Fonts & Typography
Monotype quiz
What's your type? Take this font quiz to find your soulmate
image of the two co-founders of Colophon
"The type industry is at a crossroads", says Anthony Sheret
Monotype trends report 2024
Monotype reveals the hottest typography trends of 2024
Tesla Model S
Yes, Tesla really just recalled all of its cars over a font
Fonts interacting
Viral TikTok video hilariously imagines fonts hanging out
Wonka logo
'Seeing the responses has been really uplifting': How we made the Wonka movie typography
Latest in Reviews
A blue GameSir Super Nova controller on a desk
Say hello to your new favourite Switch controller
Atomfall review; a soldier in a post-apocalyptic landscape stands vigilant, overlooking a futuristic, ominous structure in the distance
Atomfall PS5 review: kitsch design and a playful nod to British folk horror
Asus ZenBook Duo 2025
I tested the new Asus ZenBook Duo – and it's perfect... except for one disappointing flaw
A Lenovo Thinkpad T14s Gen 6 laptop on a colourful table
Lenovo Thinkpad T14s Gen 6 review: getting down to business
Huawei MatePad Pro 13.2 2025
Huawei MatePad Pro 13.2 (2025) review: A very good tablet that could be excellent
Assassins Creed Shadows review; a vibrant digital illustration portrays a dynamic confrontation between a samurai and a ninja, set against a dramatic red background
Assassin's Creed Shadows PS5 review: feudal Japan at its most beautiful